Help please

[Matthias]

I have a small moses perch and a jack in my tank that I recently put in. I have a few questions if there is someone who can help I will greatly appreciate.

1. How long should I take to convert them to fresh. I have put them in a 2foot tank filled with salt river water. Also what amounts of fresh and how frequently should I put into the tank.

2. How do I get them to eat. They seem too shy.

3. How long can a small fish last without food?

4. Are moses perch able to convert to fresh?

Pete.

[BrandonH]

A couple of things mate...

You shouldn't be collecting small fish for a tank when they have a legal size on them (both MJ and Moses have legal sizes). I doubt you have a 35cm Jack and a 25cm moses in a 2 foot tank :o :-/ >:( :'( :'(

You can buy small Jacks from most good aquarium shops and they are already fresh!!!!!!! ;)

If you are wanting to convert something from salt to fresh start with something a little easier/cheaper like a scat (also known as john dory in QLD, silver with vertical black strips?) They convert nicely and don't have a legal limit ;) When i did it I use to take one cup of salt out each day and replace it with a cup of fresh. did this for a month then did a quarter water change on the tank but added a table spoon of salt into the tank. I then did the cup in and out for the next month and another water change and table spoon of salt (this was for a 3 foot tank so a little less would be ok for you). After 3 months of this I stopped doing the cups and just did the normal water changes and added the table spoon of salt every second change.. even now with a fully fresh setup I add salt mainly to keep the bugs outa my cardinal tetras and loachs dosn't harm them in small doses ;)

You will get some different options for the change over and some people on here would have done it way more times then I have but there is so many different ways to skin a cat so to say ;)

Your biggest problem is the legalities of catching small Jacks and Moses pearch for your tank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Cheers
Brandon...

[Matthias]

Mate you should do some research b4 accusing me of catching and keeping undersize fish. Tell me what the legal size of a mangrove jack and moses is in NSW. >:(

I'm not stupid enough to post up admitting/implying catching undersize fish. I let 99% of my jacks go and moses perch don't grow big enough to eat where I fish.

I understand where your are comin from and thanks for your concern and advice.

Pete.

Ps I really don't want to buy anything from a shop because I have only local fish/plant/etc so don't want any risk of contamination.

[BrandonH]

Sorry Pete, your 100% right. I didn't know the size limits in NSW :( :( now I do know I take back the coments in my previous post ;)

I am shocked they don't have a limit on Jacks though :-? I guess maybe its because there never use to be that many caught?? But then again the Aussie bass dosn't have a minimum size, its one fish over 35cms :-? Sooo different to QLD rules..

Anyways good luck with the conversion and I hope the other bits of my post are useful.

cheers
Brandon...

[BrandonH]

Just found this old post you may get some more info from ;)

http://www.ausfish.com.au/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1128575007;start=all

Cheers
Brandon...

[Matthias]

Thanks mate. The fish are doing well. Just changing 1/2 L morning and night. Also put in some live prawns and seems they might have eaten a few.

Pete.

[Matthias]

Yep just put a few more prawns in, and the jacks belly went scarlet. He belted them and so did the moses. ;D ;D I love it already. Can't wait till they are in the big tank.

Pete.

[One Day]

Mathias,
Hope you've got a big tank. I've had a jack for two years in a 6 ft tank. He was just a fingerling when I got him and now there's hardly enough room for him.